Thread: My experience with the BBW

Being from Belgium, I have a fondness for Coticules / BBW natural combo stones.

It begun when I inherited my great grandfather's razor and his father's razor and his stone. (a nice natural combo Coticule)

Noticeably the yellow Coticule side as well as the BBW side were heavily used. My best guess now is that is was either heavily used with oil or dry.

Since I've lapped that stone over a decade ago, I can't tell for sure. Either way, it intrigued me.

I bought myself a Coticule about a decade ago and it's one from the La Nouvelle Veine layer (love that layer btw), unfortunately the yellow part came loose and broke off, I'm only left with the BBW side. When this stone was still intact I honed my first bought "dream" razor on it, a vintage Henckels. I remember having a lot of trouble with the yellow part, and reading online I was not alone. I switched to the BBW side with dilutions and to this day got one of the best edges I've ever put on a razor (being my first experience with Coticules, I think I got lucky).

Ever since I've been looking to mimic, but wasn't able.

Yesterday I took 3 different Coti/BBW natural combos and decided to try something different.
One from La Nouvelle Veine layer, one from the La Veinette layer and one vintage reminding me of the La Grise / Nouvelle veine layer.

I used them dry.

I tried the Coticule side first, it worked faster, but not smoother / finer. That said, with a previously set bevel intact, I dulled the edge on glass and did regular half strokes, x-strokes and the edge came back very quickly. I tried finishing on the stone with backstrokes spine leading and it was good, but there was room for improvement.

I then switched to the BBW and it felt much finer than the Coticule and also left a much finer and smoother edge, while honing you could feel this.
Spent enough time on the BBW until the edge felt smooth and finished using backwards circles, very low pressure.

I used 2 olders Henckels and 1 Grelot and used each on a different BBW.

Shave test was amazingly good. This was the most effortless shave I've ever had, finally rivaling my edge from a BBW I got a decade ago.
And all 3 razors shaved almost the same with little to no difference noticed.

The shave was enormously skin-friendly while being VERY sharp, I had a no prep shave, just lathered, these BBWs are an outstanding piece of rock.
The edge has a little room for improvement, it wasn't harsh, but felt a little "crisp", I might finish on oil for the next try.

BUT the sharpness and skin friendliness is unrivaled for me, and I was amazed the BBW left a much smoother finish (although after reading some studies that shouldn't come as a bug surprise as a BBW without slurry is much slower and finer IIRC)


1. When I said a decade ago my experience with that BBW stones, people kept holding on to the fact that the Yellow Coticule side was THE side to finish on and that I was a heathen
later on came the BBW study test and people couldn't discern the two from another in a blind study test, the BBW did actually just as good (if not better)
I also remember an old fella say that the BBW side is the "magical" side, I have to agree with him.

2. The BBW is much finer using it this way, I've test shaved this method over 100 times and always finished on the Coticule, "because that's how it was supposed to be", which was always almost there, but not quite.

3. these stones works at a decent speed dry Coti > BBW in speed and also leave a SMOOTH edge, where in smoothness BBW > Coticule

4. It works for me, this one hits all my preferences which isn't universally liked, so ymmv

5. When honing on the Coticule, I can feel where's it's smooth and where it's not, I then switch to the BBW and notice it picks up where the Coticule left and refines even more, I was able to feel this very well. Shave test revealed I was able to get a much sharper and smoother edge out of the BBWs. So spending enough time on the BBW was key and should feel completely smooth from heel to toe. (My toes needed extra work to get there)

6. I first did half strokes and x-strokes on the BBW until it felt universally smooth and then continued with circles and when that felt good I did very light pressure circles, as I were stropping it. It did take a little while to smooth out.
Finish was done using circles, going away from me clockwise so the edge is trailing and spine is leading, towards me counter clockwise spine leading as well.


YMMV